Listening to the commentary that accompanied last night’s coverage on Sky, Colin Montgomerie talked about the extent to which the USGA could control the scoring at a US Open by manipulating pin positions. Anticipating that McIlroy would eventually finish somewhere in the region of five-under-par, he thought it unlikely that the lead would be any lower than that after 36 holes.

Twenty-one players broke par in relatively benign conditions on day one, with McIlroy’s long-game having spent the afternoon largely untroubled. So, is Congressional about to exact some retribution?

Thoughts, updates and comments below.

Conor Nagle

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*Ed Note: Hi, it’s me, Stephanie. Last night I tweeted that Rory would be at least nine-under at the end of the day. Did I mean for the round or 36 holes? Obviously, the round! Okay, no, you’re right — I meant for the tournament. Seemed like a bold statement for a US Open, right? Well, normally, yes, but for some reason, there’s something different about this one so far. It doesn’t feel like every other US Open (I’ve only covered one in person, but I’ve been to four or five and watched many on TV). I can’t really put my finger on it, but of course the weather has an impact on the conditions. So when it started absolutely pouring last night, we knew the course would be soft and for the taking. Also, the USGA hasn’t (or maybe can’t?) set up to hurt you that much off the tees (unless your initials are P.M.).

Anyway, Rory is taking names and kicking ass. He’s four-under through 11 in round two of the US Open, ten-under total, and holds a seven-shot lead. No big deal. Screw objectivity. I’ve had my pom poms out since the start of the week. Go Rory!